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HomeMy WebLinkAboutResolution 3524-09-2007A Resolution NO 3524-09-2007 SUPPORTING THE CREATION OF A NATIONAL AFFORDABLE HOUSING TRUST FUND WHEREAS, safe decent, quality affordable housing is among the basic human needs and also provides families and neighborhoods with a sense of stability and WHEREAS, one of the goals of the City Council of the City of Fort Worth as embodied in the City s Comprehensive and Consolidated Plans is to promote and foster public private partnerships in developing and preserving quality affordable housing for the citizens of Fort Worth a measure which would also add to the City s tax base and WHEREAS to achieve this goal a Mayor s Task Force on Quality Affordable Housing hereinafter referred to as the Housing Task Force was created in November 2006 composed of housing industry representative and other stakeholders and charged specifically with providing the City Council with recommendations on the creation of a Fort Worth Housing Trust Fund to fund quality affordable housing and WHEREAS on August 14 2007 the City Council took a giant step by adopting the Housing Task Force s recommendations on the creation of the Fort Worth Housing Trust Fund (M&C G 15811) and by appropriating a total of $8 4 million for the Fort Worth Housing Trust Fund $4 million for the corpus and $4 4 million for the first year s funding including $2 million from the General Fund and WHEREAS the City Council acknowledges that the approval of the $8 4 million Fort Worth Housing Trust Fund is dust a dent in meeting the quality affordable housing needs identified by the Housing Task Force at $1 8 billion and that a collaborative effort from all levels of government -federal state county and city -and the private sector is imperative to achieve its housing goals and WHEREAS at the state level in May 2007 the 80th Texas Legislature doubled the funds in the State Housing Trust Fund, the only general revenue the state invests in affordable housing by increasing its budget by $5 million over the biennium an acknowledgment of the need for additional affordable housing in the state and WHEREAS at the federal level on July 31 2007 the U S House of Representatives Financial Services Committee in a momentous event, approved legislation (H R. 2895) to establish a National Affordable Housing Trust Fund - a concept first proposed in the U S Congress in 2001 and WHEREAS the National Affordable Housing Trust Fund would constitute a dedicated federal fund not to supplant existing appropriations to build preserve and rehabilitate affordable housing and WHEREAS the Fort Worth Housing Trust Fund substantially qualifies for required matches under the proposed National Affordable Housing Trust Fund (the National Affordable Housing Trust fund provides $2 for every $1 of local funds) which means increased leveraging of local funds and increased affordable housing development and revitalization for Fort Worth and WHEREAS 5 600 national state and local organizations from around the country are advocating for the creation of a National Housing Trust Fund and are giving their support for H R. 2895 NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF FORT WORTH, TEXAS That the City of Fort Worth does hereby express its support for the creation of a National Affordable Housing Trust Fund by endorsing H R. 2895 and That a copy of this resolution be provided to the Texas Congressional delegation Adopted this __ 11th __ day of September 2007 ATTEST :./ ~ r~ ~ ~,~~ .- ~ ~ ~ ~ ~~ M _ •, --- - "' '' Marty Hendrtx;'Ctty Secretary ~-~ ~~~ APPROVED .,~,,,;,~.,,, CITY COUNCIL SEP 1 1 2007 ~~~ City Secretary of the City of Fort Worth, Texas